Al Medina and Claudia Ermer said it started with verbal jabs and taunts.
Eventually, it escalated into physical assaults.
The couple’s 10-year-old daughter said bullies in her classroom at Boiling Springs Elementary School make her a regular target.
Last week, the situation escalated when the girl came home from school with a concussion.
Despite repeated discussions with the teacher and school administrators, her parents say nothing is being done to stop the torment.
They said they weren’t told their daughter had been shoved in the cafeteria during lunch, causing her to hit her head against a concrete wall.
Instead, they said, they found out through another parent.
According to a doctor’s note, the girl was treated for a mild concussion along with dizziness.
The Star spoke with the child’s doctor, who confirmed she wrote a letter to the school asking them to look further into the matter to avoid any further incidents.
Ermer said she is trying to get her daughter transferred to another school.
She has filed a report with Boiling Springs Police Department.
In the meantime, the parents said they have no choice but to take their child, who now suffers anxiety attacks, to school.
Donna Carpenter, spokeswoman for CCS, said Boiling Springs Elementary staff are continuing to investigate the matter and are working with the families of the students involved.
“Saying anything more is a violation of the privacy of the students,” she said.

Nationwide issue
The case is not unique.
All around the nation, school districts are working to eliminate bullying from campuses.
Recently, when The Gazette's sister paper, The Star, asked readers about their experiences with bullies, a flood of responses followed.
Dozens of parents said their sons and daughters have been taunted, called names or physically assaulted.
Some said they removed their child from the school system or transferred schools.
Many parents expressed dissatisfaction of how the situation was handled.
Others said they had been a target of bullying themselves.
One woman said she dropped out of high school due to the constant harassment.
Through social media, parents have discussed making plans to attend the next board of education meeting to voice concerns about bullying in Cleveland County Schools.
The next meeting is planned for 7 p.m. Monday at the Office of School Readiness, beside Food Lion on South Post Road, Shelby.

What is bullying?
Sandy Hamrick, student services coordinator, said bullying is an issue the school system takes very seriously.
“We pretty much treat the children in Cleveland County Schools as our own,” she said.
The schools have been tackling the issue through several means, including dispelling misconceptions.
Hamrick said sometimes parents see one incident, though not to be dismissed, as bullying.
According to the Cleveland County School System’s student code of conduct, bullying is described as “repeatedly inflicting or threatening to inflict physical or psychological harm by an individual or group.”
A first offense can be punishable by up to three days out-of-school suspension. A second offense, up to five days out-of-school suspension, and up to 10 days for a third offense.
She said parents do have to have a level of trust in teachers and staff and believe that they are responding to the problem.
Parents might not always be told specifics on how the situation is handled.
Hamrick said there are multiple ways the school system is educating students and parents about the issue, including a bullying prevention curriculum.
She said all students are taught the definition of bullying and how being a bystander can make you part of the problem.
Hamrick said students are taught to say “I don’t like that, stop it,” and then to walk away when confronted with a bully.
“You want to teach children not to be a victim, but how to positively assert themselves,” she said.
Combating bullying
Children are also told to speak with a teacher or school counselor immediately following a verbal or physical attack.
At the same time, Hamrick said, students are taught positive social skills, such as respectful behavior, teamwork and compassion and empathy for others.
Hamrick said counselors and administrators have gone through training specifically dealing with the issue of bullying and each school has been asked to come up with a bully prevention plan.
Some schools, including Boiling Springs Elementary, have had a parent night focusing on bullying awareness.
At Shelby High School, an anonymous bully text line was established in collaboration with the Shelby Police Department. Incoming messages are monitored by the school resource officer.
Next week, counselors from Boiling Springs Elementary School will collaborate with Shelby High School’s drama teacher, Steve Padgett. Shelby High students will perform anti-bullying skits for Boiling Spring Elementary students.
She said the staff and administrators at Cleveland County Schools are trying to be as preventive and proactive as possible.
“I think there’s more awareness these days,” Hamrick said. “Behaviors that were historically accepted are no longer accepted.”

What should parents do if a child is bullied?
Sandy Hamrick, student services coordinator, said anytime a parent has a concern, the parent should first discuss it with the child’s teacher.
If that doesn’t resolve the problem, she said they should try the school counselor next and then the principal, moving up the chain of command.
As a last resort, she said the parents should go to the director of student services.
Hamrick said the child who is doing the bullying will face consequences and discipline, but will also have a support plan to determine why they are acting out.

National statistics on bullying
* Six out of 10 American teenagers witness bullying in school once a day.
* Bullying affects nearly one in three American schoolchildren in grades six through 10.
* Eighty-three percent of girls and 79 percent of boys report experiencing harassment.
* Students who are targets of repeated bullying behavior experience extreme fear and stress, such as:

Fear of going to school

Fear of using the bathroom

Fear of the bus ride to and from school

Physical symptoms of illness

Diminished ability to learn

* Bullying can escalate into more serious behavior. Boys identified as bullies in grades six through nine had one criminal conviction by age 24.
* Forty percent of those identified had three or more arrests by age 30.
* Bullies are at even greater risk of suicide than their targets. Bullies often grow up to perpetuate family violence.

Source: National Education Association

Anti-bullying event
An anti-bullying magic show, hosted by the Luv Center, is scheduled for 4 p.m. March 16 at Shelby City Park. Cost is $5 per person, free for those younger than 5 years old.